Her Grace The Duchess of Bedford visited Bedford Hospital today (Friday, September 17) to officially open the hospital’s midwifery led birthing unit, the Acorn Suite.

The Acorn Suite opened for use late last year. The birthing rooms in the suite have been specifically designed to provide a home-from-home environment that will encourage and facilitate a natural birth. The emphasis of the Acorn Suite is on the use of water and mobility to manage labour. Birthing pools, bean bags, cushions and floor mats are all available in the rooms to help women stay relaxed, comfortable and active during labour.

The Acorn Suite was built thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Bedford Hospitals Charity who raised £200,000 as part of their Duckling Appeal. It is based on the first floor of Cygnet Wing, the Trust’s purpose built, dedicated women’s and children’s’ wing which was officially opened by The Queen in 1999. Since the Acorn Suite opened, 246 babies have been born there, 131 of which were water births.

Head of Midwifery at Bedford Hospital, Miss Naomi Gallagher said: “We are delighted that The Duchess of Bedford agreed to come and officially open our midwifery led birthing unit. We are extremely proud of our maternity services and it is fantastic news that we are now also able to offer women additional birthing options in the Acorn Suite. The new suite provides a comfortable, ‘home from home’ environment for women with all the facilities to help them to achieve a natural birth which is best for both mother and baby.”

Jayne Beard, chairman of Bedford Hospitals Charity said: “We were delighted to raise funds for the Acorn Suite at Bedford Hospital. We had lots of fun with the Duckling Appeal and were amazed by the response from the public. I would like to thank everybody for their contributions; the Acorn Suite is a beautiful suite and makes a fantastic addition to the wonderful maternity unit at Bedford Hospital.”